Short Term Memory
by EsmeAmelia
Summary: Leia has saved Han from carbonite, but he doesn't remember the events leading up to the freezing. Will he recover his memory?
1. Chapter 1

AN: As I'm always saying, I don't own Star Wars. Well believe it or not, this fic came from a family joke. Every time we watch ROTJ, we wonder why Han never mentions Lando's betrayal. Someone, I don't remember who, got the idea that maybe the freezing did a tiny bit of brain damage to his memory, making him forget all about the betrayal, which has led to a lot of jokes ever since. And since sometimes stupid ideas become stories, lo and behold, that idea became a fanfic. It was originally a one-shot, but it got long, so I decided to divide it into two parts. Warning: there is a gross scene involving vomiting.

"Short-Term Memory"

By EsmeAmelia

"I'll meet you all back at the fleet," Luke's voice said over the comm, slightly scratchy from interference.

"Hurry," Leia said, only halfway concentrating on flying the Falcon, most of her focus on the one in the seat behind her, wrapped up in a blanket. "The troops will be assembling shortly."

"Hey Luke, thanks," the deep voice said from behind her, the voice she had gone six months without hearing. "Thanks for comin' after me. I owe you one."

Leia found herself smiling. Probably hearing that voice say _anything _would make her smile right now, even one of his familiar insults. He was here, safe at last. Her smile grew wider when Chewie growled something that she took to mean that the hyperdrive coordinates were set. With a pull of the lever, the stars turned into those familiar white streaks and the ship jumped into light speed.

Finally she could turn her full attention to Han.

There he was, the dark green blanket draped around his shoulders, blinking drowsily, smiling dreamily up at her as if he were only half awake. "Hey Leia . . ." he said in a low, sleepy voice.

"Hey," said Leia, smiling back at him even though she didn't know if he could see her. "How are you feeling?"

"Bit better," Han said with a tired sigh. "You're still kinda blurry, though."

Leia self-consciously pulled down the edge of the dusty poncho she had thrown over the bikini. She thought about possibly telling Han what Jabba had done to her as Chewie leapt out of the copilot's seat and ruffled Han's hair, roaring something Leia took to be asking if Han was sure he was all right.

"Yeah Chewie, I'm fine . . . just tired," said Han, after which Chewie ruffled his hair one more time and stepped out of the cockpit, leaving Leia and Han alone. Leia breathed heavily, hesitant to look away from Han lest he turn out to be a dream and disappear. If he could see right he might be uncomfortable at her staring at him like this, watching his eyes blink, blink, blink, his lids growing heavier and heavier.

"Leia?" he mumbled.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you somethin' a little weird?"

Leia reached down and gently stroked his sweaty cheek, which, despite having just been exposed to Tatooine's heat, was still a bit cold. "Of course."

Han yawned, slightly pressing his head against her hand. "Just what exactly happened to me?"

A twist formed in Leia's stomach, spreading its way around her body. "What . . . what do you mean?"

"What happened?" Han repeated, digging his cheek into her hand. "I was . . . frozen or something?"

"Don't you _remember?"_

Han yawned again. "I remember going to Bespin . . . then . . . I'm not sure . . ."

_He doesn't remember? _Leia couldn't move, couldn't even shift her hand as Han rested his head on it and fell asleep. _He doesn't remember?_ She barely noticed the weight of Han's head or the tingles it was inflicting.

"Han?" she whispered as if making sure he was asleep.

When Han didn't answer, she gently pulled her hand out and left the cockpit, still only able to think one thing.

_He doesn't remember?_

. . . . .

Leia found Lando, Chewie, and 3PO in the lounge. Lando and Chewie had just gotten into a round of holochess, but once Lando noticed her, he jumped up from his seat and ran up to her. "How's Han doing?" he asked rapidly.

"He fell asleep in the cockpit," Leia said, looking down at her fingers. "I don't think you should disturb him."

Lando's mouth twisted. "Probably just as well – I don't imagine he's in a big hurry to talk to me."

Chewie roared something she couldn't understand, but she guessed it meant that he was agreeing to leave Han alone for now.

Lando was examining her face, making her rather uncomfortable. "Leia?" he said. "Something wrong?"

Leia took a deep breath, briefly contemplating where to begin. "Lando," she said, trying to keep a steady voice, "remember how I talked to some doctors about the effects of carbon freezing?"

"Yeah, sure."

Leia gulped. "Well, one of the things they said was that he might experience some . . . short-term memory loss."

Chewie roared in surprise and Lando's eyes widened. "Short-term memory loss?" he exclaimed. "You mean . . .?"

"Yes," said Leia. "I don't think he remembers anything that happened on Bespin."

For the briefest of seconds a grin flashed onto Lando's face, but then he quickly seemed to remember that Leia wouldn't be pleased with that. "So," he said, awkwardly clearing his throat, "he doesn't remember what I did?"

Leia groaned. "Look, I know what you're thinking, and it's a bad idea."

"What?" Lando said, feigning innocence.

"Han has a right to know what happened even if he never remembers it," Leia said sharply.

"Oh my goodness," said 3PO, hobbling up to Leia. "If his memory has been erased, then poor Captain Solo may never recover, it is _quite _a nasty process. Not that _I _have ever been mind-wiped myself, of course, but I hear it's quite nasty."

"It's not like a droid's memory wipe," Leia said before turning to Chewie. "Come on Chewie, Han will probably be hungry when he wakes up. 3PO, come on, you can help us."

The princess, the Wookiee, and the droid all left for the kitchen, leaving Lando alone, staring after them.

. . . . .

Leia made sure to change into her regular clothes before returning to the cockpit. She had thrown the bikini into a drawer in her cabin, intent on deciding what to do with it later. When she entered the cockpit, she found Han still asleep in the back seat, snoring softly. For a few minutes she simply stood there listening to his snores, wondering why the sound had ever annoyed her.

She leaned over and kissed his slightly-cold forehead, which caused him to stir. His eyelids stretched and relaxed a couple of times before the movements expanded into actual blinks. With a long yawn, he woke up completely and smiled at her.

"Hey sweetheart," he murmured. "You look nice."

Leia smiled back at him. "How are you feeling?"

Han gave another yawn. "Better," he said, stretching his arm behind his neck. "Little stiff, though."

"Well no wonder when you've been sleeping in that seat." She reached down and ruffled his hair. "If you want my advice, I think you'd be more comfortable in your bunk."

Han offered his hand, inviting Leia to lead him to his cabin. She took his hand and helped him to his feet, still smiling, though as she helped him walk to his cabin, some part of her mind was still worried about his memory. If he forgot the betrayal, could he forget other things? Would his memory cease to function all together?

Would he forget about _her?_

Han practically collapsed onto his bunk when they reached it, rolling to his stomach and inhaling the familiar scent of his pillow. Leia thought he might be ready to fall asleep again, but then he rolled back up to face her. "I'm hungry," he said.

Leia felt herself smiling yet again. "Well, Chewie and I fixed you something special while you were sleeping – do you think you're ready for it?"

"I got the feeling I haven't eaten for ages, so yeah."

"All right," said Leia. "You wait here and I'll go get it."

When Leia returned, she was carrying in a plate on which she balanced a slice of cake that had a little lit candle sticking out of the top. Han's embarrassed grin made her laugh briefly before she remembered to say, "Happy Birthday, hotshot."

"What, is it my birthday now?" Han asked, unable to wipe off the embarrassed grin.

"No," said Leia, sitting on the edge of his bunk, "but you missed your birthday while you were frozen, so you're having it now." She held the plate up to Han's face so the candle was close enough for him to blow out. "All right, now make a wish."

Han scrunched his face as a nervous laugh escaped his mouth. "Okay, okay, I wish I could remember what happened." He blew out the candle, making Leia laugh, though his "wish" lingered in her head, bringing back her nervousness.

"Think you can eat by yourself, or will I have to feed you?" she asked.

Han's grin went from embarrassed to cheeky in a mere second. "Well do you _want _to feed me?"

Leia sighed, playfully rolling her eyes. "I think you can eat by yourself," she said, putting the plate in his lap and handing him a fork.

Nothing much was said while he ate. Leia watched him put forkful after forkful of cake into his mouth, chew, swallow, repeat. Occasionally he would look at her and smile, silently telling her that he was enjoying himself.

Would he remember this moment later?

When he was finished, he leaned back, closing his eyes, a satisfied smile on his face. "So, any presents?" he said.

"_Han,"_ Leia said with a laugh.

"Just askin'."

"Well . . . maybe I can get you _something."_

For a few minutes Han simply relaxed, but then his face suddenly twisted in a sickly manner. "Leia . . . " was all he managed to gasp out before a heavy cough forced him to lean forward. Another cough spewed a torrent of vomit out of his mouth, all over himself and the blankets.

"Han?" Leia exclaimed.

Han vomited again. Leia grabbed his shoulders just as he vomited a third time, some of the fluid getting on her shirt.

"Han!" Leia repeated. "Han, breathe! Breathe!"

Han gasped several times, his face pale. It seemed to be at least a full minute before he could finally speak, and even then his voice came out in a rasp. "Leia . . ." He coughed again, but this time nothing came out of his mouth. "Leia . . ."

"Shh," said Leia, wiping his mouth with the back of her hand, struggling not to think of the thick, disgusting liquid that now crept down her skin. "It's all right."

"Leia . . . I'm . . . sorry . . ." He leaned over and coughed again, but fortunately he seemed to have already emptied his stomach.

"It's all right," Leia repeated, giving him her most sincere smile. "You just need a shower, that's all."

"Shower . . ." A small crocked grin appeared on his face. "You wanna join me? You look like you could use one too."

"_Han!" _Leia gently swatted his face. "_You _shower, I'll clean up."

Han began to stand up, but his feet toppled and he would have landed on Leia had she not grabbed his shoulders once again. "Don't think I can make it . . ." he muttered. "Guess you'll have to come with me after all . . ."

Leia rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll give you a sponge bath."

Han's grin was much bigger this time, as if the prospect of her giving him a sponge bath had made him completely forget that he was drenched in his own vomit. "Sponge bath . . . that sounds nice . . ."

. . .

Five minutes later, Han was sitting on the edge of one of the spare bunks, stripped down to his underwear, and Leia was wiping him over with a wet sponge. Neither had spoken since they moved to the other bunk. Leia had quickly changed into a fresh shirt, but she thought she could still feel some of Han's vomit drying on her chest. _Don't think about that, _she quickly told herself. _Concentrate on Han._

Concentrate on Han. The bumps as she ran her hands past his spine. The slickness of his wet skin. The way his back ever so slightly pressed against her hands when he inhaled. Simply the fact that he was breathing at all. The fact that he was _here _instead of trapped in that awful carbonite prison.

Here, but there was a hole in his memories. If she wanted to discuss the events on Bespin, he would have no idea what she was talking about. He didn't remember the capture, the torture . . . or her last words to him in the carbon freeze chamber.

Her hand wanted to abruptly stop scrubbing him, but she forced it to keep going. Shouldn't she be relieved if he never remembered her accidental reveal? No, wait, it wasn't accidental, of course it wasn't . . . so why was a tiny part of her still embarrassed about it? Because of the way he responded, a simple "I know" instead of returning the confession?

She ran the sponge over his bare shoulders, massaging them slightly, trying not to let herself stare at his skin, trying not to pay attention to the little hairs, the rosy tone from the hot water, the smell of vomit slowly overtaken by the soapy water.

"_I know . . ."_

But it _wasn't _simple, was it? After all, he was the one who had kissed her moments before what might be death, a long, desperate kiss. And the look in his eyes as he said it . . . that incredibly _sad _look, surely that meant his words meant more, didn't it?

For a brief second the toyed with the idea of asking him for confirmation, but then she remembered that he currently didn't know what he said or why he said it.

"Han," she said, quickly attempting to get some conversation going, "I'm sorry."

"Hmm?" said Han. "For what?"

Leia rubbed the sponge over his chest, trying not to look too hard at his nipples. "I shouldn't have given you that cake. Your digestive system wasn't ready for food yet."

Han shrugged. "Heh, it tasted good, at least. _I'm _the one who should be sayin' I'm sorry."

"Why?"

His eyebrow went up. "I threw up on you, didn't I?"

"Oh, that," said Leia, running the sponge over his stomach. "Well, that wasn't your fault."

They drifted again into silence for several more minutes, the only sounds being Leia dipping the sponge back into the bucket of soapy water and wringing it out. She probably kept the bath going longer than was needed, but she didn't really want to let go of this moment. Even when she began drying him, she lingered with every stroke, pressing into his skin with the towel.

"Well," she said after she finally finished drying him, "I got out some fresh pajamas and underwear for you."

One of those cheeky grins Leia knew so well formed on Han's face. "You've been in my clothes? My _underwear?"_

With a slight growl, Leia tossed the pajamas into his lap. "Here, I think you can dress yourself."

But his grin wasn't fading. "You sure? I might need your help changin' my _underwear."_

Leia rolled her eyes. "No, I think you're perfectly able to do _that _by yourself."

"Fine, fine," said Han, getting up from the bunk, the pajamas dangling over his arms. "Sides, my bladder's about to explode and I got the feeling I haven't used the refresher in a while."

. . .

It seemed like a long time before Han emerged from the refresher, but perhaps it only seemed that way because she felt on edge the instant he was out of her sight and wouldn't look away from the refresher door until he was out. When he did finally come out, he half-stumbled into her arms as if he were about to faint.

"Han?" Leia reacted.

Han gave her a dreamy look. "I'm fine . . . legs're just a little weak . . ."

Leia quickly threw his arm over her shoulder and started leading him back to the bunk. "I think you've been overworking your muscles. They're not used to movement right now."

"Yeah, well, I didn't exactly have a choice when the Sarlacc was gonna eat us, did I?"

"Well you have a choice now," Leia said as she sat Han down on the bunk, after which he collapsed on the pillow.

"Need . . . sleep . . ." he muttered.

Leia pulled the covers over him and wrapped them around his shoulders, tucking him in with the tenderness of a mother. "Here, get yourself all the rest you need."

Suddenly Han grabbed her arm, pulling it towards him and pressing her hand on his cheek, letting her feel his rough face. "Maybe I could nap in your arms?"

Her stomach jumped. Not long ago, that would have sounded like another one of his pathetic attempts to get intimate with her – in fact, some part of her psyche still heard it that way – but now he was squeezing her arm with a certain desperation that was usually unlike him. Though he was giving sleepy blinks, his eyes still stared directly into hers, communicating the true meaning behind his words.

He was afraid of her leaving.

She gave a small sigh. "All right, move over." She stepped out of her shoes, sat down on the bed, and eased herself under the covers next to him. Once she was in a lying position, Han immediately rested his head on her chest, apparently thinking she was more comfortable than any pillow.

"Thanks . . . " he mumbled as she wrapped her arms around him in a protective embrace.

She waited for him to say something more, but all that came was content snoring, his mouth blowing warm air onto her arm. Her hand ran through his hair as she gazed at the top of his head, noticing even the tiny knots in his hair and the flecks of dandruff on his scalp. Had she ever properly looked at the top of his head before?

She gulped, feeling the weight of Han's head on her breast, her thighs tightening slightly when they were pressed against his thighs. Force, what was wrong with her? It was _Han _who wanted to do that with _her, _not the other way around. They had never actually talked about really _doing it . . . _but here she was. Even though they were both clothed, even though he was certainly in no condition for that now, she couldn't deny what she was thinking about. _That's it, _she thought, _no more sponge baths._

A knock on the door brought a very welcome distraction. "Come in," she called.

The door slid open and in stepped Lando, who grinned the instant he saw Han asleep on top of Leia. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No," Leia said firmly.

But Lando's grin only grew wider. "You sure? It sure as hell looks like it."

"_Nothing_ happened," Leia said with a groan. "He just didn't want to sleep alone."

"I can see _that." _Lando smirked, but then after she glared up at him, his face grew serious. "So, uh, how is he?"

"Exhausted, but I think he'll be fine," said Leia.

Lando bit his lip before speaking again. "Does he remember anything?"

"Not yet."

"Do you think this is permanent?" Lando shifted his weight as he looked down at them.

Leia sighed, blowing some of Han's stray hairs. "I don't know."

"Do you think it'll get worse? Like, will he start forgetting other stuff?"

"I don't know," Leia repeated.

"Think he'll end up with full-blown amnesia?"

"I – don't – know!" Leia said in a near shout, causing Han to stir only slightly without waking up. "Need I remind you that if he _does _end up with complete amnesia it will be _your _fault? Maybe you shouldn't be bringing it up."

Lando's face was serious again. "All right, I won't."

"Thank you," said Leia. "Now could you please leave us alone for a while?" The cheeky grin was back on Lando's face for only a minute before she quickly added, "So Han can _sleep _without you disturbing him."

"Fine, fine," said Lando, leaving the room without another word, but once he was gone, his words drove themselves into Leia's head, causing her stomach to twist and her arms to embrace Han tighter.

"You won't lose your memory, will you?" she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thanks to the reviewers! Sorry it took me so long to get this up. I've been having writer's block and some rather difficult real life problems.

"Short Term Memory"

By EsmeAmelia

Chapter 2

Leia drifted in and out of sleep, always either feeling Han on top of her or seeing him in some dream. She couldn't remember the details of any dreams she had, but she always awoke with the sense that Han hadn't recognized her. The fourth time she awoke she thought she remembered Han staring wide-eyed and confused at her, but she couldn't be certain. When she opened her eyes, there was the top of Han's head again in all its mussed-up glory. She gulped, several parts of her tingling from his weight, but unwilling to move him. Listening to his slow breath, she decided to remain awake this time lest she return to the dreams.

Suddenly he began twitching. His arms tightened up as if bracing himself for something. "Mmm . . ." he muttered, "mmm . . . mmm . . ." He sounded almost like he was actually trying to speak.

"Han?" Leia said worriedly.

Han's feet kicked, pulling the blankets off of them as he continued to moan.

"Han?" Leia repeated in a louder voice. "Han, wake up!"

Han's eyes popped open, his breath coming out in gasps. He blinked up at Leia as if trying to figure out where he was.

"Han, are you all right?" Leia said, squeezing his hand.

Han blinked rapidly as his breath gradually slowed down. "What happened?"

Leia stroked his head. "I think you were having a nightmare."

"No," Han said in a firmer, angrier voice. "What _happened?" _

Leia gulped, wrapping her arms around Han as if trying to distract him, pressing her head on his, feeling his scraggly hair against her cheek.

"What happened?" he repeated. "Tell me."

"Han . . . maybe Lando should be the one to tell you."

"Then let's go to Lando," Han said quickly. With that, he leapt off the bed, abruptly chilling Leia's body, and stormed out of the room. With a sigh, Leia got up and followed him.

. . .

"Lando!" Han shouted as he stormed into the lounge.

"Whoa, hey Han," Lando said, getting up from the holochess game he was playing with Chewie. "Nice jammies."

"Cut the chatter, Lando," Han growled. "What the hell happened?"

Chewie roared something that sounded concerned for Han's well-being while Lando's eyes widened. "Uh . . . look Han . . . you might wanna sit down for this."

Han immediately shoved past the gambler and sat at the game table. "All right, I'm sittin'."

"Eh . . . okay," said Lando, looking like he wished he could jump out of the ship. He took a deep breath. "Uh . . . look Han, I don't really know where to begin with all this, so, what's the last thing you remember?"

Han raised an eyebrow, as if Lando were invading personal territory by asking the last thing he remembered. He took a few seconds to answer. "Uh . . . landing on Bespin, I guess. You . . . hugged me, I think."

Lando shifted his mouth. "Uh, okay . . . Han, we're buddies right?"

Han raised his eyebrow. "Sure, but why do I get the feelin' that whatever you're gonna tell me is gonna change that?"

"Han," Leia quickly intervened, walking up to the game table and putting her hand on Han's shoulder, "just hear him out, okay?"

Lando was swaying from side to side, eying the door as if calculating how fast he could make an escape. "Well Han, what would you say if, say . . . I might have had a little something to do with you getting frozen?"

Leia squeezed Han's shoulder, perhaps trying to keep him in place in case he tried to attack Lando, but Han wasn't giving any reaction.

"I mean," Lando continued, apparently not noticing Han's lack of reaction, "I'm not necessarily sayin' I _did _have anything to do with you being frozen . . ."

"He did," Leia interrupted.

"Hey," said Lando, "I didn't _know _what they were gonna do to him, so technically I wasn't part of it."

"What the hell is _that _s'posed to mean?" Han exclaimed.

"It means I _might _have had a little somethin' to do with the events that _led _to the freezing, okay?" Lando said quickly, forcing himself to talk.

"_Meaning?"_ said Han.

"Well, uh, let's say that maybe the Imps were threatenin' to take control of my city. Now of course you'd want me to do what I could to keep that from happening, right?" He gave a nervous laugh. "Of course you would."

"That'd depend on what you had to do to keep your city," Han growled.

The gambler was wringing his hands together. "Well . . . let's just say that Vader offered you protection in exchange for luring a few prisoners to him? And . . . well, let's just say that you didn't _know _who the prisoners were? You can understand that, right?"

"I'm not likin' where this is going."

Leia sighed. "Lando just tell him. Or if you don't, I will."

"Fine, fine," said Lando, taking a deep breath and gulping as if trying to swallow the air he had just inhaled before continuing. "Han . . . I kinda turned you, Leia, and Chewie over to Darth Vader."

He flinched, stepping backwards, as if he expected Han to attack him. Leia might have halfway expected that too, but strangely enough Han didn't move. He just stared ahead, almost as if he hadn't heard Lando, but his hands clenching into fists were enough to indicate that yes, he had heard. Perhaps he was too busy restraining himself from hitting Lando to answer him.

"So . . . yeah," said Lando, eyeing the door with even more interest. "I lured you guys here and stabbed you in the back, but I _swear _I didn't know they were gonna freeze you or torture you . . ."

"_Torture?"_ Han interrupted.

"Uh, did I say torture?" Lando said, his eyes shifting.

Han stared at the gambler for a moment, then all of a sudden, he shot to his feet and stormed out of the lounge, leaving Leia, Chewie, and Lando to stare after him.

"I'll go talk to him," said Leia, following Han out of the lounge before anyone else could say anything.

. . .

When Leia reached Han's cabin, she found the door locked. She knocked, but he didn't answer. It occurred to her that she didn't know for certain that he had gone to his cabin, but something was telling her that he was behind that door, almost as if she could feel his presence.

"Han?" she called.

Again no answer. Maybe he was sleeping, but somehow Leia felt otherwise. "Han," she continued, knocking again, "I don't think that's the best place to take another nap. Isn't your bed covered with . . . stuff?"

"I'm not sleepin'," Han finally answered.

"Well then what are you doing?"

"Waiting for Lando Two-Face to get off my ship."

Leia sighed. "Well we're in hyperspace, so that will take a while."

"Then I'm not comin' out till then. Speakin' of which, is there a _reason _he's on my ship?"

"Yes actually, there is," said Leia. "If you let me in I'll tell you."

She heard him sigh, but after a few moments the door did slide open. He looked disheveled when he appeared in the doorway.

"Can we go sit down somewhere?" Leia asked.

Han groaned. "Fine."

They went back to the spare bunk, sitting hip-to-hip. Leia recounted their escape from Bespin as best she could, always looking Han in the eye, trying to figure out what he was thinking, though he gave her no hints. When she was finished, it was several moments before he spoke.

"So . . . he helped you escape," he said in a disbelieving voice, his arms folded.

"Yes."

Han leaned forward, resting his head on his hand. "He helped you escape," he repeated, as if that was the only thing that might sway him into forgiving Lando. "Well . . . guess that means I don't _have _to kill him."

With that, Leia grabbed his face and kissed his cheek. Han seemed to enjoy the kiss, but then he pushed himself back, letting her know he had something else to say.

"I might change my mind after I remember stuff, though."

. . .

It had been three days since their arrival at Sullust, but still Han hadn't recovered his memory. Of course, with all the preparations for the attack on the new Death Star Leia hadn't had much time to worry about Han's memory loss, but during the rare times when she had a moment to herself, she found herself thinking about the gap in his memories. Oddly enough, it wasn't Lando's betrayal that concerned her, especially since Han and Lando seemed to be getting along since reaching Sullust.

No, what always came to her mind was their last words in the carbon freezer.

She knew it was silly, but every time she thought that Han might never remember that moment, something in her chest tightened. During the day she could ignore it, but at night, when there was little to distract her, his last words played in her head over and over and over. Such was the case tonight. Even though she _should _be kept awake by thoughts of tomorrow's attack, instead she was kept awake by memories of the carbon freezer.

She and Han were sharing a room, but they had separate bunks. The first night on Sullust, she and Han discussed intimacy for the first time. Though she had been so tempted to just do it right then, she found herself convincing Han that it was best to wait until after the battle, even though she knew that there might not _be_ an "after the battle" for one or both of them.

Across the room from her, Han was mumbling in his sleep, incoherent, yet always sounding like he was trying to say _something. _Should she wake him? Part of her wanted to, perhaps simply out of curiosity over what he was dreaming about, but she didn't move. She sank her head into the pillow, trying to let herself sink down inside her head, ferociously attempting to block out any thought of Han's memories or lack thereof, but then his sleep mumbling started to break down into two syllables, slowly evolving into two very distinct words.

"I know . . ."

With that, Leia leapt out of bed, turned on the lights, and rushed over to Han's side. She grabbed his shoulder and began shaking him, not caring how he would react when he woke, only hoping she could chase his dream down before it vanished from his mind. Perhaps this would be his only chance to remember again.

"Han, wake up!" she said desperately.

It took Han several moments to wake up, but finally his eyes opened. "Huh?" he said drowsily.

Once Han's eyes looked at her, bleary and unfocused as they were, Leia suddenly felt silly. This was stupid, wasn't it? Nevertheless, he was awake, so he deserved an explanation. "Han," she said carefully, "you were talking in your sleep."

Han's lips twisted. "Yeah?" he said awkwardly.

"Yes, you were," said Leia.

"Well . . . what'd I say?"

Leia gulped, wishing there was a way to do this without it being awkward. "Han . . . do you remember what you were dreaming about?"

First Han stared up at her like he couldn't believe what she was talking about. Then he scrunched his mouth as if trying to remember. Then his eyes suddenly widened and he gave a slight gasp. "We were . . . in this room . . . it was hot and there was steam shooting up everywhere . . . and Vader was gonna do something to me . . ." His eyes grew even wider as he stared up at Leia. "That really happened, didn't it?"

Leia could only nod.

"And . . ." Han continued, ". . . you said . . . _I _said . . ."

He trailed off, unable to continue. His eyes shifted away from Leia as if he were embarrassed to look at her. "I said . . ." he repeated.

Leia's immediate reflex was to say, "I know," but then she thought that would be a tad inappropriate, so she said, "Yes" instead, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Han bit his lip, breathing steadily as if concentrating on recovering the memories. "So I really said that . . ." Suddenly he grinned, looking back up at Leia. "And _you _said . . ."

"Han, don't," Leia quickly interrupted.

But Han wasn't about to let her off that easily. "Well?" he said in his cocky voice. "Did ya _mean _it?"

"What about _you?"_ Leia exclaimed.

"Whaddaya mean _me?"_

"The best thing you could say was 'I know'?" There, she had said it. The thing she had subconsciously been longing to ask for six long months, ever since the moment he said those words.

For once Han appeared to be struck silent. He looked down, seeming to study his fingers, curling them and spreading them out as if they held the answers to all the questions in the universe.

"Well?" said Leia.

Finally Han looked back up at her. "Tell me if you meant what _you _said first."

Leia groaned. "Even after six months in carbonite you're _still _impossible."

"Well what do you _want _me to do then?" Han said. "Serenade you? Buy you flowers and chocolates? Get down on my knees and swear my undying love?"

"Han . . ."

"Fine," said Han, folding his arms, "I'll do all that if you tell me whether or not you meant it. I'll do it even if you _didn't _mean it, kay?"

Leia gulped, looking for sarcasm in Han's eyes but finding only sincerity. In fact . . . they looked incredibly similar to how they had looked that moment in the carbon freezer. Suddenly she felt that he _would _do all those things if she asked him to, but then she realized that she _didn't _want him to gush about her like a lovesick fool. She wanted him to be . . . well, Han. Han who didn't _need_ to gush. Han who could express love with just a look, who didn't even need words.

She sat on the edge of his bed and leaned over, gathering him in her arms. "I did mean it," she whispered.

For a moment Han looked like he thought he might not have heard her right, then suddenly a grin burst onto his face. "Well," he said, "which do ya want first – the serenade, the flowers and chocolates, or the pledge of undying love?"

"I'll settle for just a kiss," said Leia.

That was something Han was happy to oblige.

. . .

Lando paced around the hangar, gulping every few seconds. Leia had told him that Han got his memory back, but he hadn't actually seen Han since then. Surely Han wouldn't try to kill him after all he had done since the betrayal, right?

Right?

Well there the old pirate was, his trench coat slung over his shoulder. It passed through Lando's mind to run away as fast as he possibly could, but something – perhaps the possibility that neither of them might make it through this attack alive – held him in place.

"Hey Lando," Han said, approaching the gambler.

"Uh, hey Han," Lando said. Well, Han hadn't attacked him yet – that was a good sign. "Leia told me you got your memory back.

"Yeah," said Han. "And I got a way for you to repay what you did."

Lando gulped, but he figured that he deserved whatever Han was about to say. "Uh, okay, what is it?"

Han's face relaxed into a grin. "Take care of my ship durin' the battle, will ya?"

THE END


End file.
